Let's get intimate

'Thai Yoga Massage is more intimate than a regular massage even though the participants keep their clothes on'.

This is true.
Especially for the part we learned last night: the stomach massage. We sit nicely crotch to crotch and then we proceed to rub and poke the belly. When looking at the demo my belly clenched right up. You probably don't know this, but I can't stand anyone touching my belly button. Not even me. Cleaning it is torture. So here is Saul jamming his thumb down someones belly button. Nails on the black board..... Add to that fact that all the, admittedly lovely, vegetarian food served by Caspar the Limburger boy wonder in the kitchen, with the variety of beans has made me quite gassy. Do I want to lie crotch to crotch with someone and have my belly poked? NO.

Had to be done though, so I tactically made my way to bathroom while people were partnering up, so I would be the odd one out when I got back and got to work with one of the teaching assistants (there are 17 people on the course, so one usually ends up with a teaching assistant).

She kindly spared my belly button and we got through the rest with not too much discomfort. I was wiped out that evening though. To work that intensely on the hips and then the belly had me yawning by 8.30 pm. Belly feels better today, though!

Due to my early bedtime I hadn't heard that morning class was canceled. So I actually had a shower in the morning and did my own practice. Worked the glutes and hips with the tennis ball and stretches. Two hours flew by. The right glute was softer than I'd ever felt it. Broke the tennis ball (Note to Anouk: those balls you bought are nice and hard, but not very sturdy). So I donated the remnants to Irving, one of our student's mental health service dog (who had a cute doggie shark costume on yesterday).

Today we are reviewing all we've learned in the past 2.5 days. So this morning I gave Angela (a German physician in her early fifties, here with her German friend Johanna who has lived here for a long time) a 3 hour massage including feet, legs, hips, stomach, chest, arms and hands. I can tell you that Angela's belly looks way better than mine, by the way, and that her muscles are like butter so I got to go really deep. Halfway through I had to take my shirt off, I was dripping sweat and needed something to wipe it with. I'll need better deodorant if this going to be part of my career! Angela was so relaxed she couldn't move afterward. So I went and jumped in the saltwater pool to cool off while she recovered and then I had double portions of the vegetarian Shepherd's Pie to replenish my energy. All I'll have to do this afternoon though is lie down and get a 3 hour massage from Angela. Bummer.